Unsolved [BugReport] INLET ICING warning light works even when ANTI-ICE ENGINE Switch is in OFF position

[karamazovnew]

Hi, as per the BMS and DCS documentation,

BMS: OFF – Ice detector, engine anti-ice system, and inlet strut heater are off
DCS: OFF. The inlet ice detector, engine anti-ice system, and inlet strut heater are disabled.

so, since the INLET ICING warning light is governed by the ice detector, I doubt it should turn on at all when the Switch is in the OFF position. And yet it does after a few minutes of flying through winter clouds.

[VIPER. 0]

@karamazovnew said in [BugReport] INLET ICING warning light works even when ANTI-ICE ENGINE Switch is in OFF position:

Hi, as per the BMS and DCS documentation,

BMS: OFF – Ice detector, engine anti-ice system, and inlet strut heater are off
DCS: OFF. The inlet ice detector, engine anti-ice system, and inlet strut heater are disabled.

so, since the INLET ICING warning light is governed by the ice detector, I doubt it should turn on at all when the Switch is in the OFF position. And yet it does after a few minutes of flying through winter clouds.

[Zeus]

I think, don’t know for certain, you are confusing the anti-icing SYSTEM being off with the ice detection. The light is telling you that ice has been detected…not that its being dealt with. So if you have the system in the OFF mode when the light is on, you are likely to have a problem fairly soon unless it is address (either turn on anti-icing or get out of icing conditions).

[VIPER. 0]

@Zeus said in [BugReport] INLET ICING warning light works even when ANTI-ICE ENGINE Switch is in OFF position:

I think, don’t know for certain, you are confusing the anti-icing SYSTEM being off with the ice detection. The light is telling you that ice has been detected…not that its being dealt with. So if you have the system in the OFF mode when the light is on, you are likely to have a problem fairly soon unless it is address (either turn on anti-icing or get out of icing conditions).

read what I am publishing from the official manual, when it is OFF nothing works, neither detector nor anti

[MaxWaldorf]

Any other plane system I know never shut down ice detection…

[karamazovnew]

@MaxWaldorf said in [BugReport] INLET ICING warning light works even when ANTI-ICE ENGINE Switch is in OFF position:

Any other plane system I know never shut down ice detection…

Indeed, and it would seem fair to have three ways to deal with it, as it is now:

• off: don’t de-ice
• Auto: only de-ice if ice accumulated.
• On: de-ice continuously, in which case the warning light would signal that icing is too severe for the system to cope with.

In fact that’s exactly why the manual entry jumped to my attention and I decided to test it for myself in cold clouds. I thought it was weird not to have any warning whatsoever. In that case the documentation would be wrong, not the sim behavior.
Maybe, if the real F16 really shuts down detection it’s to ignore some faulty sensor?

[mirv]

Bug reported to the team…

[jc1]

@karamazovnew Auto: only de-ice if ice accumulated.
Steady
On: de-ice continuously, in which case the warning light would signal that icing is too severe for the system to cope with.
Flashing

[mirv]

Guys,

There is no flashing associated with this caution light. It’s either on or off…the system doesn’t “know” if there is severe icing or not…it just senses ice or no ice…or
If it’s on and there is no icing (ie, you’re in clear air), the system is malfunctioned. Ice type and severity is up to the pilot to determine (and this is the case with most transport aircraft as well). And there’s no means of “it can’t keep up”……what I mean by that is if it’s ON, it’s still detecting ice……

[VIPER. 0]

@MaxWaldorf said in [BugReport] INLET ICING warning light works even when ANTI-ICE ENGINE Switch is in OFF position:

Any other plane system I know never shut down ice detection…

at least in all civil and military aircraft that I have worked with it can be disconnected. In fact, it is disconnected and if it freezes and is disconnected, the system does not give any indication. The normal operating mode is automatic and when it detects ice, it turns on a lamp and connects the heating of the anti-freeze elements. The anti-ice system can be connected independently, they are 2 separate systems. the soviet aircraft pickup is a radioactive gamma and beta emitter called RIO-3 geez he hated that thing and the battery compartment was right next to it, even with the lead shield it radiated, now and then they did a test with a geiger counter and with the lead protector the needle danced. In the case of western aircraft that work with the same philosophy, the system was always turned off and for the flight it was set to automatic. In this case, the detector is a quartz bar that oscillates at 40hz and when ice forms, it decreases that frequency and The system warns of the formation of ice, there the anti-ice system is automatically connected. I could be talking about this for hours but I think you get the idea.

[mirv]

The most popular civilian medium sized airliners don’t even have ice detection. It’s all up to the pilots. The 737 has zero… The A319/320 don’t have it either. I can’t recall if the NEO has it… many of the 319/320s have an “ice probe” that just allows you to see if there is any ice forming. But the procedure is to turn anti-ice on in 10C or cooler air temperature and in visible moisture or vis less than a mile. And of course if the ground is contaminated. If you’re in the climb or cruise and temp is -40C or colder, anti-ice not required…too cold to form anything.

Of course there’s no way to tell the outside air temperature in the Viper…….

[mj3437]

I am not a pilot, but I am wondering why you would NOT want auto deicing. If there is ice=on, if not=off. Does deicing interfere with other systems, or…?
Just curious.

[mirv]

In the F-16, the normal switch position is AUTO/ON, which is checked/set (it should already be in this position) before engine start (in the RIGHT CONSOLE check). After engine start it is tested to ensure it works properly, then returned to AUTO/ON.

The only reason it might be possibly in the OFF position is if it is written up as inoperative and the flight will not encounter any icing conditions, and it is permissible to fly the aircraft with this system inoperative (I.e., signed off by maintenance). I have no idea if this is a “No-Go” item for this aircraft. So I am just guessing at this point. But what I know of anti-ice systems, they don’t seem to fail much.

Depending on where you are and where you are flying, it may or may not be hard to avoid icing conditions. On a blue bird, dry day, there won’t be a need for this system at all.

It doesn’t affect any other systems.

@mj3437 said in [BugReport] INLET ICING warning light works even when ANTI-ICE ENGINE Switch is in OFF position:

I am not a pilot, but I am wondering why you would NOT want auto deicing. If there is ice=on, if not=off. Does deicing interfere with other systems, or…?
Just curious.